TEHRAN- Niger says it has agreed to a defense and security alliance that would allow the armies of Burkina Faso and Mali to enter and help Niger "in the event of aggression". 

The development comes as Niger has ordered the French Ambassador to leave its soil within 48 hours, saying the decision relates to actions taken by France that run counter to Niger's interests. 

Oumarou Ibrahim Sidi, the deputy minister at Niger’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has announced that the Burkinabe and Malian ministers reiterated their countries' solidarity in the face of "the illegal, illegitimate and inhumane sanctions" imposed by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA). 

The deputy minister also mentioned that the trio of nations reached a consensus to establish and enhance collaborative support regarding defense and security affairs.   "The three countries agreed to facilitate mutual assistance in defense and security matters in the event of aggression or terrorist attack and decided to set up a consultation framework to enable them to coordinate their actions in order to deal with the multiple situations and challenges to which we are exposed."

Expanding on security issues, he said they expressed satisfaction with the endorsement on August 24 by the President of the CNSP (The National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland) in Niger, General Abdourahamane Tiani, of two orders. 

The directives grant authorization for Burkina Faso and Mali's defense forces to intervene within Niger's borders if any form of aggression occurs. 

“They welcomed the signing by the President of the CNSP, General Abdourahamane Tiani, of two orders on 24 August 2023 authorizing the defense forces of Burkina Faso and Mali to intervene on Niger territory in the event of aggression," Sidi noted.  
He added, "The Burkinabe and Malian ministers reiterated their countries' solidarity in the face of the illegal, illegitimate and inhumane sanctions imposed by ECOWAS and UMOEA in violation of the texts of these institutions. They also reiterated their rejection of armed intervention against the people of Niger, which would be considered as a declaration of war.”

The heads of ECOWAS, a regional group of 15 members, along with the leadership of UEMOA chose to enforce economic and financial penalties on Niger following the military coup. 

The sanctions have resulted in Niger, a landlocked nation, experiencing a severe reduction in its power provision. Nigeria, responsible for 70 percent of Niger's electricity supply, has disconnected its power transmission to Niger under the directives of the ECOWAS sanctions. 

Like recent coups in neighboring Burkina Faso and Mali, the military takeover in Niger came amid a growing wave of anti-French sentiment, with the new military leadership accusing the former colonial power of interfering in Niger’s internal affairs. 

On Friday, protesters gathered in front of the French military base in Niger's capital Niamey, threatening to storm the facility if French troops refuse to withdraw from the West African nation within a week. 

Protester Issa Gabra said, "It's all part of the general mobilization we have here. It's to demand the departure of these invading forces, this occupying force. That's why we wanted to come to the door of this base to ask them to leave our country from here. We don't need this occupying force. We don't want them on our land."

Footage shows some protesters in the crowd holding or waving Russian flags.  

A man held a sign with the text reading "THE CNSP WAS BORN TO DELIVER US AND OUR COUNTRY FROM IMPERIALISM...WE WISH FOR PEACE IN OUR LIVES"

Protester Ali Hammadou Ardo told reporters, "We're ready to give our lives for our country. We'll give them until the deadline in 10 days. The day the deadline passes, we'll penetrate their base. It's true that there will be deaths, but the most important thing for us is that they leave. Our country is more important than our lives. So we're ready to sell our lives for that country." 

Another demonstrator, Boureimi Mustapha addressed the French leader saying, "President Macron – we’re here to call on him to listen to reason while there's still time. Because beyond the prescribed deadline, have you seen the young people of Niger who have come out? You haven't seen anything yet. Because today it's just the beginning ... It's land for the people of Niger, not for France.” 

The protest came on the same day Niger's military, which seized power in a coup on July 26, ordered the French ambassador to leave the country within 48 hours, a sign of further worsening relations between the military leaders and the West.  

France has some 1,500 troops in Niger to allegedly fight extremist militant groups that have plagued the country along with the wider Sahel region for years. 

Niger has strategic significance as one of the world's biggest producers of uranium as well as oil reserves. French and U.S. troops have been based in Niger under an agreement signed by former President Bazoum to allegedly help fight the militants.  

Analysts say France has destabilized the country further, leading to the ouster of Bazoum by his angry presidential guards, a move which appears to have vast backing among the local population. 

Abdoulaye Seydou, leader of M62, a civil society coalition opposed to the French military presence in Niger, contended that his movement would not give France "one second" in the country after the deadline to withdraw its troops expires. 

Mahamane Ousmane, the former President of Niger, has also issued a statement denouncing the sanctions and threats of military intervention on his country.   "This most iniquitous embargo is already tantamount to a declaration of war against an innocent people. Added to this is the threat of a military intervention that neither morality nor law, let alone common sense, justify."

Ousmane added, "I would like to remind you that any foreign leader who approves armed intervention against our people will have to live with the consequences and will be personally responsible before history." 

ECOWAS has threatened the use of armed force, saying it wants to restore constitutional order, while also sending mixed messages of wanting to achieve a peaceful resolution. 

On Friday, ECOWAS told Niger's military leaders it was "not too late" to reconsider their position as they wrangle over a return to civilian rule with the option of military force still "very much on the table". 

The generals who ousted President Bazoum have said that Niger will return to full civilian rule following a three-year transition period. ECOWAS has demanded that "constitutional order" be restored with immediate effect. 

ECOWAS delegations have been shuttling into Niamey, saying negotiations remain its priority while defense chiefs prepare a standby mission for a possible "legitimate use of force" to restore Bazoum if needed. 
ECOWAS leaders say they cannot allow another coup in their region. 

"Even now, it is not too late for the military to reconsider its action and listen to the voice of reason as the regional leaders will not condone a coup d’état," ECOWAS commission president Omar Alieu Touray told reporters in Abuja. "The real issue is the determination of the community to halt the spiral of coup d’états in the region." 

Niger's new rulers have also sent mixed messages, saying they remain open to negotiations, while also threatening to charge Bazoum with treason as well as setting up a new caretaker government with a civilian Prime Minister.  
Bazoum remains under house arrest with his family at the official residence since the coup.

But preparations for any possible use of military force in Niger is a risky option that analysts say could spiral out of control. 

Niger's northern neighbor Algeria has also warned of the disastrous consequences of any military intervention. 

This week, Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf toured West African states to try and find a political solution to the crisis. 

"There is a time for everything and we are currently in the time of finding peaceful solutions," he said on a visit to Benin. 

"Let's put all our imagination into giving every chance to a political solution." 

Niger's new rulers have warned that any military intervention would not be a “walk in the park”.

Peace advocates have pointed to Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya as examples. The United States with all its military might and NATO allies waged wars on these countries yet failed miserably to bring any peace.